Schools have started to ban phones around the globe — but is that the solution?

I've written at length for Android Police about smartphones' impact on kids and teens. I wrote an article about handling your child's first smartphone, reviewed devices geared towards protecting kids like Bark and Pinwheel, and wrote about how parents need help to be more mindful when using devices.

I'm a dad in the thick of kids and technology. I have a 12-year-old who just started Junior High in the US (which covers grades 7 and 8), and her school has a phone-free campus policy. My other child is about to turn 9 and will be there soon. Both have expressed wanting a phone, but every study I've seen is about how smartphones hurt kids' mental health and development. So, banning phones from school should be a good thing, right? Let's explore together.

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The case against smartphones

I bet you can guess most of these

Deep in our bones, we know that smartphones are a huge distraction. Not only do they demand almost constant attention through notifications, but apps are built with reward loops to keep you addicted to games, social media, and more.

Social media has been studied at length and found to be bad for kids and teens. Anecdotally, kids can be emboldened by the relative disconnect behind a screen to bully others and themselves when it comes to self-worth, appearances, and more.

Add all this up and put phones in a classroom. In a digital age, it's tough for teachers to get kids to focus, especially after a setback like the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw widespread struggles through remote learning and kids' interpersonal skills beginning to crumble. It's no wonder it might feel like a losing battle to prepare kids in modern times, especially if they're reaching for their phone every time it buzzes.

This is why places like the Netherlands ban mobile phones from schools, and some US states want to do something similar.

The case for smartphones in the classroom

Stay with me here, please

As I've done in my reviews and extensive coverage, the case for smartphones, or phones in general, is one of necessity. Times have changed. I'm going to give you three scenarios.

In this first scenario, consider that most houses no longer have landlines. From an emergency perspective, having a mobile phone plugged in and accessible while at home for emergencies is a smart move. When parents leave their appropriately-aged kids at home alone, that peace of mind gets even stronger.

Extend this even more to when your kid finds independence through being alone at a friend's house. This is the second scenario. Without a landline for them to get to if there's a problem, the kid would have to ask a parent (or friend, or sibling) to use their mobile phone to have someone pick them up, or (hopefully not) call the police. What if the person they have to ask for access is the problem?

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So, what about in the classroom? The third scenario. Not only is it handy to let your kid communicate with you after school to coordinate pick-up or rides, but there's another, heavier reason. It might be best not to ban phones from schools outright. I'm sure we've all thought about what I'm talking about at least once.

In this classroom-based scenario, and I am aware that this is an issue in the US, what if there's an emergency at school? A month doesn't go by when we are not devastated by headlines about violence in schools. Banning phones from schools removes one of the few lifelines kids have in the moment of something unimaginable. Being able to communicate with authorities and parents and document what is happening should be something every child or teen has the right to do.

Some solutions I've read about include students surrendering their phones at the beginning of class and placing them in cubbies or buckets to remove the temptation of using them during lectures. This isn't bad, but it is still not ideal.

Then, like my kid's Junior High, you have a phone-free campus, which means students are not allowed to have phones out at all. Yet, they can have them in their backpacks as long as the phone is on silent or do not disturb. To me, this is the best solution, but it only works for schools that haven't banned backpacks in favor of lockers and safety in not being able to conceal weapons.

Here's how I feel about the state of things in the US. If we can come together to ban things like phones or backpacks in the name of safety for our kids, I feel like we can go a little further and work on common sense ways to protect them even more. Fewer scenarios of heartbreaking tragedy might mean we can restrict phones even more on campus grounds, all for the sake of our kids' development and mental health. Until then, the least we can do is give our children the ability to reach out in moments of need.

Where are phones banned in schools?

In more places than you might think

There seems to be a healthy uptick of partial bans like my oldest has at her school. Still, some places haven't banned phones in any way, leaving it up to policy in individual classrooms. I can't imagine what those classrooms are like, but I'd be surprised if teachers aren't enacting their own rules even if their districts haven't.

Without getting into the weeds and listing specific schools, states, and countries with bans, there seems to be an uptick around the globe. Some states in the US, like Virginia, limit or ban phones in schools at a statewide level, which affects almost 1.2 million students. Likewise, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced something similar over the summer.

Still, part of the issue is figuring out how to enforce these new rules, where the phones will be stored (as I mentioned, lockers, bins, or otherwise) throughout the day, or if the schools will ban them altogether, making kids leave them at home. There doesn't seem to be a consensus or universal plan for all locations to follow. Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina have statewide restrictions. You'll find a more detailed list of states with major policies or incentivized policies here.

When we zoom out, we see countries, provinces, and more enacting similar policies. Dutch classrooms made the call (pun intended) last year, and it's going into effect in the Netherlands this year. Countries like France and Italy have been early adopters of these policies, some dating back to 2018 and 2007, respectively. The ban in Italy, while early, recently extended and expanded to teaching.

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A step in the right direction

We can only do our best for our kids

Kids deserve our best, so we must do our best. As adults, we have the luxury of time and experience to make informed decisions on what the right (or as close to right as possible) course of action is for our youth. Especially without companies worried about bottom lines and lobbying for our decisions.

Is it the right thing to ban phones outright? Maybe. Maybe not. Is it the right thing to go phone-free while allowing access in emergencies? Maybe. My gut says that's the way to go, as a dad concerned about limiting distractions while maintaining a crucial lifeline and tool (like Emergency SOS on Android phones). At the end of the day, it's apparent we have to do something. Phones are here to stay, but our relationship with them can be molded into something healthier, especially from a younger age.

As more locations around the globe ban or limit phones, from the macro-level of country-wide legislation or the micro-level of individual classrooms, it seems everyone is coming to the same conclusion: Strides must be made for the sake of our youngest generations.